CONVERSATION WITH A TREE

Man: Hi Birchy, I’ve been keeping an eye on you for some time now and I think you have a lot of potential.

Tree: Oh, that’s nice. What do you have in mind?

Man: Well, I’m thinking that your destiny is indoors, out of all this cold weather and having a more purposeful life. Now that you are almost fully grown I think more responsibility and a promotion is in order.

Tree: Gee, that sounds swell. I thought I would spend my life out here in the garden. It’s very nice in the spring and summer, but it does get pretty cold and uncomfortable out her in the fall and winter.

Man: Exactly! That’s what I want to save you from. The temperature is always just right indoors. You will love it!

Tree: How do you plan to go about it? Will you keep me well watered in a big planter box or something?

Man: Er, I’m thinking of other solutions, which would eliminate you aging. Forever young as they say, ha ha.

Tree: That sounds wonderful. I have always hoped that I would have a happy future and also be useful. What is your plan?

Man: Firstly I think that a big change like I’m talking about will require that you are in the best of condition beforemaking the move. You’ve been standing here a long time and I believe it would be good for you to lie down awhile and get some well earned rest first.

Tree: Yes, but wouldn’t that be difficult with my roots holding on so well to the soil and of course bending that far
is out of the question!

Man: That’s true, but I have a technique that will overcome all those problems.

Tree: Are you sure it will work?

Man: Why of course. It’s a common practice that’s been going on for thousands of years.

Tree: Well then, I’ve nothing to worry about. There’s no doubt in my mind that you know what you are talkingabout.

LOL-patron. and, Thnx Mike. Now every time I cut a board in half, I’m gonna feel a tree’s pain. My only wish is that anyone/everyone, who works with wood, plants as many trees as they are able. I have, and will continue to plant trees wherever I am able.

Well fellas many thanks for just replying to this post. As Jim deduced it is cold at 19 below freezing and I was having a small before dinner brandy and got bored, so I thought you guys should be bored as well (for support purposes). It was just a small brandy, consider yourselves lucky that it wasn’t larger. Now, is anyone in the market for popsicle sticks?

Imagine if forestry companies had to have this conversation with every tree they cut down – would we treat the forests differently?

I know I have this conversation with every tree – and I usually do not suggest the final solution – I am more like a Dr.Kavorkian and I make the tree sign some papers first and I make sure that I am convinced that it is suffering. So, mainly I only take out trees which have been pre-selected by the wind, lightening..or beavers.

For Birchy is a living being and you do well to have a conversation with it first, my friend.

Trees are wonderful in life and in death. The Daily Mail U.K. had an article featuring some fantastic black and white photos of the Los Angeles area, probably from a helicopter, but at a low angle. The pictures were beautifully done, but what struck me most was the great abundance of trees throughout the metropolitan area and beyond. There were a lot of trees there when we moved to Norway, but now they appear much larger, more mature and a whole lot more of them. I was very happy to see this. Most of the trees where I live are smallish and twisted by the almost contestant winds we have here so near to the North Sea.

Good one, Mike. What’s the temperature over there and how much snow are is on the ground. I saw a picture that you posted of your shop and looked it like you could hardly even get in the door because of the snow.

Hi Charles. It warmed up a lot overnight from 18 below to13 below now. I took these photos of our garden this morning and you can compare with the snow dump we experience before Christmas (now gone) in the second photo. The 1st pic is just frost and the 3rd is the way I prefer it, more like Georgia I imagine. The tallest tree, on the left at the end of the garden is Birchy. I’ve been keeping an eye on him for the last 12 years. The tracks in the frost on pic #1 are from my wife’s trek to feed the birds. They are so use to her that they don’t even fly away anymore when she comes with the food.